Study sheds new light on the life of Britain's greatest playwright

Apr 1, 2013 09:15 GMT  ·  By

Literary achievements aside, it appears that William Shakespeare doubled as a greedy, ruthless businessman who did not shy away from constantly trying to avoid paying taxes and making money at the expense of those less fortunate than himself.

More precisely, researchers working with the Aberystwyth University in the United Kingdom now argue that, as far as they can tell, William Shakespeare was a well-known tax dodger during his days.

As well as this, he is said to have been in the habit of hoarding grain and later on selling it at a rather high price, Mirror reports.

“Over a 15-year period, Shakespeare purchased and stored grain, malt and barley for resale at inflated prices to neighbours and local tradesmen. In February 1598 he was prosecuted for holding 80 bushels of malt or corn during a time of shortage,” the study published by said researchers reportedly reads.

Furthermore, “He pursued those who could not pay him in full for these staples and used the profits to further his own money-lending activities.”

By the looks of it, all this scheming made it possible for William Shakespeare to become one of the most important and wealthy landowners in Warwickshire.